Definition of "harpy"

harpy

/ˈhɑɹpi/

noun
plural harpies
1. (mythology) A mythological creature generally depicted as a bird-of-prey with the head of maiden, a face pale with hunger and long claws on her hands personifying the destructive power of storm winds.
  Quotations
  Both table and provisions vanish'd quite,With sound of harpies' wings and talons heard.
  1671, John Milton, “The Second Book”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J. M[acock] for John Starkey […]
2. (derogatory) A shrewish woman.
  Quotations
  But her most subtle wiles proved ineffectual in ridding her, even for a moment, of her harpy jailer […]
  1927, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Outlaw of Torn‎, HTML edition, The Gutenberg Project, published 2008
  […] Ed Miliband has yet to come up with a definition of “the squeezed middle” that excludes anyone, but you can bet your bottom dollar he has these laptop-wielding harpies in mind.
  2011 March 17, Toby Young, “Mumsnet isn't representative of the 'squeezed middle'. It's just a bunch of Guardian-reading, laptop-wielding harpies”, in The Telegraph‎, archived from the original on 2011-03-20
3. One who is rapacious or ravenous; an extortioner.
  Quotations
  The harpies about me all pocket the pool.
  c. 1772, Oliver Goldsmith, letter to Mrs. Bunbury
4. The European moor buzzard or marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus).
5. A large and powerful double-crested, short-winged American eagle (Harpia harpyja).

Definition of "harpy"

harpy

noun

Quotations

Quotations

Quotations